Hard copy web client

Abstract

 An Internet/web page printer printing other web pages linked to a printed web page and a method thereof. A URL hyperlinked to the printed web page is extracted from web page information, which is obtained through a network via a web browser and converted into image information to be printed. From the converted image information, URL region information is obtained indicating a print region in which a URL anchor corresponding to the extracted hyperlinked URL is located on the printed web page. Location information input through a location input unit corresponding to the printed image information is compared with the URL region information to select an extracted hyperlinked URL corresponding to the input location information. The selected extracted hyperlinked URL is provided to the web browser so that corresponding web page information is obtained, thereby obtaining other web pages hyperlinked to the printed web page.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of web browsing comprising sending a request for a hypertext document to a web server, receiving the requested document from the web server and printing the requested document and to hard copy web client apparatus comprising communication means for sending requests for hypertext documents to web servers and receiving the requested documents from the web servers and printing means for printing requested hypertext documents received by the communication means.

[0002] A wide variety of information devices, including computers, PDAs and network printers are provided with web browsers. A network printer (web printer) equipped with a web browser can print a web page without the intervention of a computer is now available. The web printer comprises a web browser and a network card. The web printer obtains information, such as web pages, from web servers using its web browser via the network card, converts the obtained web pages in a form that can be printed and prints them.

[0003] For example, JP-A-11-134126 discloses a printer that can obtain data directly from a web server on a network without the intervention of another information processing apparatus, such as a computer, and can print data obtained from a web server. This can store bookmarks and enables the printer to set a printing time for web pages corresponding to the uniform resource locators (URLs) of the bookmarks. The bookmarked URLs are displayed, retrieved, and selected using an LCD panel.

[0004] The URI scheme for identifying resources is defined in RFC 2396. URLs are a subset of URIs of the form: protocol://server hostname/path to the resource(? optionally a query).

[0005] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a conventional web printer for printing web page information. The apparatus shown in Figure 1 comprises a URL input unit 102, a content loading unit 104, a content parsing unit 106, a content layout unit 108, a content rendering unit 110 and a printer engine 112.

[0006] The URL input unit 102 receives the URL of a web page, desired to be printed by a user. The content loading unit 104 request the desired web page from a web server 140 through a network card (not shown) and provides the obtained web page information to the content parsing unit 106. The content loading unit 104 is in effect a form of a web browser.

[0007] The content parsing unit 106 parses content data in a web page to be output. The content data to be output is, for example, text and/or graphics. The content layout unit 108 lays out information items (text and graphics) provided by the content parsing unit 106 to configure the image to be printed and provides the layout information to the content rendering unit 110.

[0008] The content rendering unit 110, which refers to the layout information generated in the content layout unit 108, renders the image to be printed and converts the image into a print commands that can be processed by the printer engine 112. The printer engine 112 prints the image onto printing paper 114 according to the print commands provided by the content rendering unit 110.

[0009] In the conventional web printer shown in Figure 1, the URL of a web page, desired to be printed, is input through the URL input unit 102, web page information is obtained by the content loading unit 104 and, thus, obtained web page information can be printed on paper 114 by means the content parsing unit 106, the content layout unit 108, the content rendering unit 110 and the printer engine 112.

[0010] However, on the printed web page, the URLs of a hyperlinked content cannot be determined. This is because when the web page is printed, the only indication of a linked content is, typically, underlining of the link. However, even this clue may be absent. The URL of the linked content is not revealed on the printed web page or accessible by the web printer, for example, by being registered as a bookmark and displayed by the URL input unit 102 for print selection. Accordingly, with the prior art web printer, the hyperlinked content cannot be readily checked (accessed via the web printer) without manually determining the URL of the hyperlink and/or inputting the URL of the hyperlink via the URL input unit 102 to print the hyperlinked web page.

[0011] Accordingly, since a conventional web printer can access only bookmarked URLs or those input via an input unit, a user cannot efficiently access a content linked to from a printed web page. For example, even if after printing a web page a user wants to print a web page hyperlinked to the printed web page, because the URL of the hyperlinked web page cannot be obtained from the printed web page, the user cannot print the linked web page.

[0012] A method according to the present invention is characterised by storing positional information for a link marker in the printed document together with the resource locator associated with the link marker, receiving a position signal from, preferably, a digitiser tablet means and determining whether there is a match between the positions identified by the position signal and said positional information and, in the event of a match, printing the resource identified by said resource locator.

[0013] An apparatus according to the present invention is characterised by storage means for storing positional information for link markers in documents printed by the printing means together with the resource locators associated with the link markers, position input means, preferably a digitiser tablet means on which a document printed by the printing means can be laid as a reference, for a user to select a link and means for determining whether there is a match between a position identified by a position signal output by the position input means and link marker positional information, stored in the storage means, and, in the event of a match, causing the printing means to print the resource identified by the resource locator associated with the matched positional information.

[0014] Preferably, said resource is requested from a web server before the generation of said position signal.

[0015] Preferably, a match is determined when the position identified by said position signal falls within an area defined by said positional information.

[0016] Preferably, the identity of said resource is displayed and printing of said resource is performed in the event that a user confirmation signal is received in response to the display of the identity of said resource.

[0017] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to Figures 2 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a conventional web printer printing for web page information;

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of a web printer according to the present invention;

Figure 3 show a sheet of printed paper;

Figure 4 shows a sheet of paper bearing location information on the printer of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows the appearance of the URL selection unit of the printer of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a flowchart of a process of printing web page information using the printer shown in Figure 2.

[0018] Since the general structure of a printer is well-known to those skilled in the art, instead of explaining the entire structure of a printer, the present invention will now be explained focusing on the elements for obtaining and processing web page information.

[0019] Referring to Figure 2, a web printer comprises a URL input unit 202, a content loading unit 204, a content parsing unit 206, a content layout unit 208, a content rendering unit 210, a printer engine 212, a location information input apparatus 216, a URL selection unit 218 and a URL information memory 220.

[0020] The URL input unit 202 receives the URL of a web page, desired to be printed by a user. The content loading unit 204 requests desired web pages from web servers 240 through a network card (not shown) to obtain the web page information therefore and provides the obtained web page information to the content parsing unit 206. The content loading unit 204 is in effect a web browser.

[0021] The content parsing unit 206 parses the content data to be output, from the obtained web page information. The content data to be output is, for example text and/or graphics. If there are URL information items in the obtained web page information (i.e. links to other resources in the obtained web page information), that is anchor tags, such linked URL information is provided to the content layout unit 208, the content loading unit 204 and the URL memory 220. The content loading unit 204 obtains web page information corresponding to the linked resource URLs, provided by the content parsing unit 206, and stores the linked web page information, thereby storing in advance hyperlinked web page information.

[0022] The content layout unit 208 lays out the information items provided by the content parsing unit 206, that is the text and graphics, on the locations where, and in the way by which, the items are to be printed out on a sheet of printing paper, and provides the layout information to the content rendering unit 210. For example, the content layout unit 208 can lay out the locations for letters on a printing paper, referring to markup language tags for setting paragraphs, including <P>(Paragraph), <BR>(BReak), <PRE>(PREformatted text), <HR>(Horizontal Rule), <LIST>, and <BLOCKQUOTE>. Also, the content layout unit 208 can set the size of letters to be printed, referring to tags for setting the size of letters, including <Hn>(Heading), <BASEFONE SIZE = n>, and <FONT>. In addition, the content layout unit 208 can set the locations on the printed page and the sizes of images, referring to a tag <IMG SRC = "....">.

[0023] Using as an example hypertext URL letters in a URL anchor, the content parsing unit 206 obtains the URL information referring to a markup language tag, <A HREF="url">text</A>. Here, in the part "url' the url of the linked resource and the part text is the text to be display and to which the link is anchored. Typically, when an HTML document is viewed or printed using a web browser and the content layout unit 208, only the anchor text, typically underlined, is presented to the reader. The anchor text is often displayed in a characteristic colour.

[0024] Referring to the URL information provided by the content parsing unit 206, the content layout unit 208 provides coordinates (hereinafter referred to as "URL region information" or "URL anchor print region information") allocating a region where the hypertext URL letters are to be printed, to the URL information memory 220. Since the content layout unit 208 allocates a location where the hypertext URL letters (usually, referred to as a URL anchor) corresponding to a URL are laid out when displayed, the coordinates of a region where the hypertext URL letters are to be printed can be provided to the URL information memory 220. The URL region information may simply be the coordinates of the vertices of a rectangular box, and may also be coordinates representing more complicated figures so as to correspond to graphically expressed hypertext URL letters.

[0025] Therefore, the URL information memory 220 stores the URL information from the content parsing unit 206 and the URL region information indicating the region in which the hypertext URL letters corresponding to the linked URLs are printed on a printing paper, from the content layout unit 208.

[0026] The content rendering unit 210 converts the parsed information items into image information, with reference to the layout information generated in the content layout unit 208, and generates print commands that can control the printer engine 212. The printer engine 212 prints the web page onto a sheet of printing paper 214 according to the print commands provided by the content rendering unit 210.

[0027] The sheet of paper 214, on which the obtained web page information is printed, is placed on a location information input apparatus 216. The location information input apparatus 216 is mapped to correspond to the printing paper 214. That is, if the user selects a location on the printing paper 214 on the location information input apparatus 216, location information indicating the selected location is output from the location information input apparatus 216. The location information output from the location information input apparatus 216 is provided to the URL selection unit 218.

[0028] The location information input apparatus 216 has a flat panel-type digitizer on which a sheet of paper can be placed. A digitizer is an apparatus outputting location information corresponding to an indicated location, for example, coordinate information, and the types of digitizers include a finger touch type, a stylus type, a touch panel type, etc. Typically the location information input apparatus 216 is of the finger touch type and when a web page is printed on a sheet of paper, the user touches a hyperlinked URL anchor, printed on the sheet of paper, to select the printed hyperlinked URL on the paper by causing generation of location information, via the location information input apparatus 216, corresponding to the printed URL anchor. In particular, the location information generated by the apparatus 216 is compared with the previously stored URL anchor print region information to determine which printed hyperlinked URL anchor the user has selected on the printed web page.

[0029] Referring to Figure 3, web page information, including, hyperlinks, for example, hypertext URL letters, is printed on a sheet of printing paper 214. The hypertext URL letters are usually underlined. If the user selects one of the hypertext URLs on the sheet of paper 214, the location information input apparatus 216 detects the user's selection and outputs corresponding location information. The location information input apparatus 216 is installed conveniently near where printed sheets of paper of output from the web page printer.

[0030] Referring to Figure 4, the location information input apparatus 216 is installed at the paper output, although is may be in other places in other embodiments.

[0031] Referring again to Figure 2, the URL selection unit 218 compares location information corresponding to a user-selected location on the sheet of paper 214 (for example, a user-selected printed hypertext URL), provided by the location information input apparatus 216, with the URL region information stored in the URL information memory 220, and selects an linked URL corresponding to a matching URL region information. The selected linked URL is provided to the content loading unit 204. Since, typically, the content loading unit 204 retrieves and stores web pages linked to the printed web page in advance, the content loading unit 204 can immediately provide web page information corresponding to the selected extracted linked URL (i.e., linked web page information) provided by the URL selection unit 218. Although the content loading unit 204 does not necessarily need to obtain and store web page information linked to the printed web page in advance, the time for printing the other linked web page information is much shortened thereby.

[0032] Referring to Figure 5, the URL selection unit 218 comprises a display unit 218a and a selection button 218b. When the user selects a location on a printed sheet of paper 214, placed on the location information input apparatus 216, for example if the user presses at a location using a finger or a pointing device, location information, corresponding to the pressed location, is generated by the location information input apparatus 216. This location information is provided to the URL selection unit 218, and the URL selection unit 218 accesses the URL information memory 220 and searches for URL region information corresponding to the input location information from the location information input apparatus 216.

[0033] If there is URL region information corresponding to the input location information, the URL information corresponding to the URL region information, for example the URL (shown in Figure 5) or hypertext URL letters (e.g. "Samsung" in an underlined coloured font, not shown in Figure 5), are displayed on the display unit 218a. The user checks that the selected location is correct, referring to the displayed hypertext URL letters, and then pushes the selection button 218b. Pushing the selection button 218b causes the URL, corresponding to the selected hypertext URL letters, to be provided to the content loading unit 204, which can, for example immediately provide the web page information corresponding to the selected linked URL to the content parsing unit 206 for processing.

[0034] Turning now to the operation of the system and referring to Figures 2 and 6, web page information corresponding to a URL, input by a user is obtained (operation S602). More particularly, the content loading unit 204 accesses a web server 240, obtains web page information, corresponding to the URL input from the URL input unit 202, and provides the obtained web page information to the content parsing unit 206.

[0035] Other linked URL information is extracted from the web page information obtained through the network (operation S604). More particularly, the content parsing unit 206 parses content data to be output from the obtained web page information, and provides parsed and extracted linked URL information (i.e., a URL and/or a hypertext URL), if any, to the URL memory 220.

[0036] The web page information is converted into image information that can be printed and the image is printed (operation S606). More particularly, the content layout unit 208 lays out information items provided by the content parsing unit 206, that is, the text and graphics, at locations where, and in a way by which, the items are to be printed on a printing paper 214, and provides the layout information to the content rendering unit 210. Referring to the layout information generated by the content layout unit 208, the content rendering unit 210 converts the parsed information items from the content parsing unit 206 into image information and generates print commands that can control the printer engine 212. The printer engine 212 prints on the printing paper 214 according to the print commands provided by the content rendering unit 210. By the print operation of the printer engine 212, the obtained web page information is printed on the printing paper 214. region information is obtained from the converted image information for a region where the extracted linked URL information is to be placed on the printed sheet of paper 214 (i.e., a URL anchor print region is obtained) (operation S608). More particulaly, referring to the extracted linked URL information provided by the content parsing unit 206, the content layout unit 208 provides the region information corresponding to the extracted linked URL information (i.e., URL anchor print region information) to the URL information memory 220.

[0037] Location information corresponding to the printed image information is input through a location input unit (operation S610). More particularly, if, for example, at operation 610, the user selects one of the linked hypertext URLs printed on the printing paper 214, the location information input apparatus 216 recognizes the user-selected location on the print paper 214 (i.e. recognizes a user-selected printed hypertext URL) and outputs URL location information.

[0038] A URL corresponding to the input URL location information is selected by comparing the input URL location information with the stored URL region information (operation S612). More particularly, the URL selection unit 218 compares the URL location information, provided by the location information input apparatus 216, with the URL region information of the extracted linked URL information, stored in the URL information memory 220, and selects a corresponding extracted linked URL in the event of a match. The selected extracted linked URL is provided to the content loading unit 204. The selected extracted linked URL is provided to the web browser (i.e., the content loading unit 204) so that web page information corresponding to the selected extracted linked URL can be obtained.

[0039] The content loading unit 204 and the content parsing unit 206 obtain web page information corresponding to a URL input by the URL input unit 202 as well as other linked (hyperlinked) URLs in each obtained web page information. Thus, obtained web page information, including hyperlinked web page information, is printed on the printing paper 214 through the content parsing unit 206, the content layout unit 208, the content rendering unit 210, and the printer engine 212. According to the Internet/web page printer of the present invention described above, other web pages hyperlinked to a web page can be easily printed.

[0040] The described web page printer prints web page information linked from a printed web page according to input location information of printed URL anchors, or according to input URL anchor print regions (locations). URL information hyperlinked to the printed web page is extracted from web page information, which is obtained through a network, such as the Internet, via a web browser and converted into image information to be printed. From the converted image information, a URL anchor print region location, such as hypertext URL print region information, is obtained/stored indicating a region in which a URL anchor corresponding to the extracted URL information is located on the printed web page/image. Input location information from a location input unit corresponding to the printed web page/image information is compared with the stored URL anchor print region location to select the extracted hyperlinked URL (i.e., to select one of the printed URL anchors) if the input location information matches the URL anchor print region location. The selected extracted hyperlinked URL is provided to the web browser so that web page information corresponding to the selected extracted hyperlinked URL is obtained, thereby obtaining other web pages hyperlinked to the printed web page.

[0041] Advantageously, the present invention provides a method of (and an Internet/web page printer) printing web page information of a printed uniform resource locator (URL) anchor selected on a printed web page. Further, although in the described example embodiments web pages hyperlinked to one printed web page are accessible at the printer (e.g., viewed at the printer via the URL selection unit 218, printed, etc.), the present invention is not limited to such configuration, and web pages hyperlinked to all respective (successive) printed web pages can be accessible at the printer, thereby providing nested hyperlinked web page access at the printer. The processes of the invention as shown in Figure 2 and provided in an Internet/web page network printer are implemented in software and/or computing hardware. For example, the content parsing unit 206 and content layout unit 208 may be software that embody the present invention's URL extractor, and image information converter and URL region information obtainer, respectively. Accordingly, the printer of the invention comprises data storage, such as magnetic and optical discs, RAM, ROM, etc. on which the processes of the invention can be stored and executed.

Claims

1. A method of web browsing comprising:

sending a request for a hypertext document to a web server (240);

receiving the requested document from the web server (240); and

printing the requested document,

characterised by
   storing positional information for a link marker in the printed document together with the resource locator associated with the link marker;
   receiving a position signal; and
   determining whether there is a match between the positions identified by the position signal and said positional information and, in the event of a match, printing the resource identified by said resource locator.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said resource is requested from a web server (240) before the generation of said position signal.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a match is determined when the position identified by said position signal falls within an area defined by said positional information.

4. A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, including displaying the identity of said resource and printing said resource in the event that a user confirmation signal is received in response to the display of the identity of said resource.

5. A hard copy web client apparatus comprising:

communication means (204) for sending requests for hypertext documents to web servers (240) and receiving the requested documents from the web servers (240); and

printing means (212) for printing requested hypertext documents received by the communication means (204),

characterised by
   storage means (220) for storing positional information for link markers in documents printed by the printing means together with the resource locators associated with the link markers;
   position input means (216) for a user to select a link; and
   means (218) for determining whether there is a match between a position identified by a position signal output by the position input means and link marker positional information, stored in the storage means (220), and, in the event of a match, causing the printing means (212) to print the resource identified by the resource locator associated with the matched positional information.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, including control means configured to cause the communication means (204) to request resources linked to in a previously requested document without a user instruction therefore.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein means (218) for determining whether there is a match is configured to determine that there is a match when the position identified by said position signal falls within an area defined by said positional information.

8. An apparatus according to claim 5, 6 or 7, including control means, a display (218a) and user input means (218b), wherein the control means is configured for displaying the identity of said resource and causing printing of said resource in the event that a user confirmation signal is received from the user input means (218b) in response to the display of the identity of said resource.

9. A method of printing a web page using a network printer which has a web browser and a network interface unit, and obtains web page information corresponding to an input uniform resource locator (URL) through the web browser and the network interface unit, converts the obtained web page information into image information for printing, and prints the image information, the method comprising:

extracting a URL hyperlinked to the web page from the web page information obtained through the network interface unit; converting the web page information into image information and printing the image information;

retrieving from the converted image information URL anchor print region information indicating a region in which a URL anchor corresponding to the extracted hyperlinked URL is located on the printed image information;

inputting location information corresponding to the printed image information via a location input unit;

comparing the input location information with the URL anchor print region information to select the extracted hyperlinked URL if the input location information matches the URL anchor print region information; and

providing the selected extracted hyperlinked URL to the web browser to retrieve corresponding web page information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein input of the location information comprises:

placing on the location input unit a paper on which the image information is printed as the printed web page; and

selecting a location on the printed paper.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the selection of the extracted hyperlinked URL comprises:

displaying URL information of the extracted hyperlinked URL if the URL anchor printer region matches the input location information, through a display device; and

receiving an input selecting the displayed URL.

12. A network printer which has a network interface unit accessing the Internet and a web browser obtaining, through the network interface unit, web page information corresponding to an input uniform resource locator (URL), the network printer comprising:

an image information converter converting web page information obtained through the web browser into image information and printing the image information as a printed web page;

a URL extractor extracting a URL hyperlinked to the printed web page from the obtained web page information;

a URL region information obtaining unit retrieving, from the image information, URL anchor print region information indicating a region on which a URL anchor corresponding to the extracted hyperlinked URL is located on the printed image information;

a location information input unit through which location information is input; and

a selector comparing location information input through the location information input unit with the URL anchor print region information, selecting the extracted hyperlinked URL if the input location information matches the URL anchor print region information, and retrieving hyperlinked web page information corresponding to the selected extracted hyperlinked URL via the web browser.

13. The network printer of claim 12, wherein the location information input unit is a flat panel-type digitizer receiving thereon the printed web page and the location information is input via the flat panel-type digitizer by selecting a location on the printed web page.

14. The network printer of claim 13, wherein the location information input unit is installed at a paper output tray.

15. The network printer of claim 12, further comprising:

a display device displaying URL information of the extracted hyperlinked URL if the URL anchor print region matches the input location information; and

an input unit receiving an input selecting the displayed URL.

16. The network printer of claim 9, wherein the location input unit is a flat panel-type digitizer.

17. The network printer of claim 16, wherein the location input unit is installed at a paper output tray.

18. The network printer of claim 12, wherein the URL extractor stores, in a storage, in advance hyperlinked web page information corresponding to the extracted hyperlinked URL and the selector retrieves the hyperlinked web page information corresponding to the selected extracted hyperlinked URL from the storage.

19. A method, comprising:

printing web page information of a printed uniform resource locator (URL) anchor selected on a printed web page.

20. A printer, comprising:

a location input unit; and

a programmed computer processor printing web pages hyperlinked to a printed web page according to URL anchor print locations input on the printed web page via the location input unit.

21. A computer readable storage controlling a printer and comprising a process of:

retrieving web page information corresponding to an input uniform resource locator (URL) through a network;

extracting a URL hyperlinked to the retrieved web page information;

converting the retrieved web page information into image information and printing the image information;

retrieving from the converted image information URL anchor print region information indicating a location in which a URL anchor corresponding to the extracted hyperlinked URL is printed on the printed image information;

receiving input location information corresponding to the printed URL anchor on the printed image information via a location input unit;

comparing the input location information with the URL anchor print region information to select the extracted hyperlinked URL if the input location information matches the URL anchor print region information; and

printing web page information corresponding to the selected extracted hyperlinked URL.

Drawing